


Parenthood Pending

by Kabal42



Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Babies, Discussion of Abortion, Forced parenthood, Happy Ending, Kid Fic, M/M, Mad Science, Parent Steve Rogers, Parent Tony Stark, Superhusbands, Swearing, test tube babies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-01
Updated: 2012-09-01
Packaged: 2017-11-13 07:50:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/501168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kabal42/pseuds/Kabal42
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the Avengers raid a very dubious scientific installation, they come across something they'd never expected to find. Their discovery turns out to be even more surprising than first suspected, and it leads the team - especially Steve and Tony - to some new and very undiscovered territory.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Untitled art](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/11191) by Chosenfire28. 



> Dedicated to **chosenfire28** , whose [amazing art](http://chosenfire28.livejournal.com/265183.html) this is based on. Without input from them, this fic would've been very different and probably not half as fun! I never thought I'd be writing kid!fic, but with the right inspiration, anything can happen. Thanks, Chosenfire! I hope you like what sprung from your work.
> 
> Huge thanks to **calvinahobbes** for being my magnificent beta, sounding board and cheerleader! If there are any errors in this fic, it's due to my last-minute edits, not to her excellent efforts.

  


  


"What the hell is _that_?" Tony stood, transfixed, and stared. Through the oddly green-tinted glass cylinder, he could see Black Widow's face against the dull gray concrete walls of the warehouse-like building.

She rolled her eyes and sighed, exaggerated. "It's a human fetus," she said, her tone telling him just how moronic she thought he was.

"Yeah, I can see that," Tony shot back. Always stating the obvious, that woman. He knew full well what it was in there. It was a little shorter than his lower arm, the head about the size of his fist. An unborn baby, nearly carried to term, if his sketchy knowledge of in utero development served him right. "But why the fuck is it here?"

This time there was no snappy comeback. "Perhaps some anomaly they're studying?" Widow suggested. "Anyway, that hardly matters. It's not like we need a fetus in formaldehyde. It'll be destroyed along with the rest of their weird stuff."

Tony was about to agree when the fetus moved. It was enough of a shock that his heart gave a jolt, causing a red bar to momentarily appear on the HUD, before JARVIS realized he wasn't in danger. 

"Uh. Guys," Tony said. "It moved..." Just then, it did it again, turning ninety degrees and kicking.

"My god..." Steve said somewhere behind him. The other Avengers, who'd previously ignored him and the strange find, were now gathering around. 

"You might say that," he replied. "But I'm pretty sure no god had any hand in this..." Tony gave a sideways glance towards Thor, just in case, but there was no reaction. 

"Well, that means we have to find a way to bring it back with us," Steve declared. "We're not leaving a child here." 

Tony groaned. Yes, he agreed – obviously - but it would be complicated. And it would be up to him to find out how to do it, too. "On it," he grumbled and went to look at the control panels and mass of tubes and wires the cylinder was attached to. 

He was aware of the rest of the team searching the area as he worked. Their chatter of check-ins and status updates came through clearly on the communications system. The update he'd implemented last week payed off. Even the deep, cavernous tunnels of concrete they were in weren't able to interfere.

"Urgh. The baby might be alive, but these human subjects sure aren't," came Widow's disgusted voice at one point. 

"Who are these freaks anyway?" Hawkeye asked. "Did we establish that yet?"

"According to our sources, a scientific terrorist organization that branched out of Hydra some decades ago," Cap supplied with a very clear note of disgust in his voice. "Apparently Nazis never truly go away, they just... mutate." 

"For lack of better wording." The dry and sarcastic voice belonged to Bruce, and Tony smiled at hearing it.

"Welcome back to the land of the not-freakishly large and green, Doc," he said. "If you're within a reasonable distance, could you give me a hand with detaching an artificial womb with contents and securing it for transport?"

"On my way." Bruce sounded relieved there was something to do. He still most often looked far too self-conscious post-smashing. Like he wanted to apologize for kicking bad-guy ass.

Between the two of them the work went faster, but it still took them a few hours to come up with a way to transport the cylinder without damage to the contents. They decided that they would move it to Bruce's part of the lab in Stark Tower, because Tony's part wasn't equipped to deal with anything living. Bruce, at least, knew about biology. 

The move involved Tony using himself as power supply and transport for both the thing itself and several canisters of goo and tubes that kept the life-system going. It wasn't the heaviest load he'd carried, but it was definitely one of the bulkier and least maneuverable ones. Far too many parts to it, none of them square or with good, solid edges to hold on to. He looked ridiculous with various objects strapped to him like this, the extra weight throwing him off his balance, making him waddle or swerve, and the line running from his chest RT to the cylinder constantly got in the way of his movements. 

The flight home was slow and cumbersome. It didn't help that the others kept the quinjet nearby. Normally, that would mean company, but right now it just meant Clint laughing and pointing through the windows. That guy really had a lot of gall for someone decked out in purple spandex.

Back at Stark Tower, he and Bruce reattached the cylinder to the internal power supply and got everything hooked back up to various monitors. Some of it they modified on the spot to serve the purpose, some were stuff they already had. The fetus seemed no worse for wear and still moved from time to time, kicking or waving its hands. It was an odd sight. Tony wasn't sure if he was fascinated out of repulsion or out of some basic instinct to protect the baby. Which, despite the technicalities, this was. It looked 'done' to him, though a bit small. 

Bruce and he left it to its own devices for debrief, and then Bruce declared he was going to find out who this child was and how close it was to being born. Which probably meant how long till they could get it out of the tube and get someone to take proper care of it. Tony pretty much put the strange foundling out of his mind and got to work on deciphering the various other weird science projects they'd uncovered at the site.

. . .

Two days later, the foundling inserted itself in his life again when Bruce called him. Tony didn't answer at first, deep in schematics over a circuit board that was possibly an attempt at making a time machine, but then JARVIS interfered.

"Sir. Doctor Banner tells me your presence is urgently needed in his laboratory. It is the he who has been calling you for the last hour."

"Ah." Tony wasn't really interested. This was some really fascinating electro-engineering. 

"Sir. I must insist that you attend Doctor Banner. I can assure you that you will need to hear what he has to say," JARVIS insisted. 

Tony gave up when Dummy, wired into JARVIS' network, snatched the board away from him. "If you so much as scratch that thing, I'm pulling your wires out and attaching them to it. Maybe it'll send you back in time. I hope a T-rex tramples you," he told the damn thing and wiped his hands as well as he could. Pepper hated oil stains on the furniture, so that habit was ingrained by now. Even after they broke up, he hadn't got rid of it, perhaps because it was kind of convenient to not have to have the couch cleaned twice a month.

The elevator down to Bruce's sub-level lab stopped once. That was unusual, as only Avengers could use that particular one, and why would anyone else need to go see Bruce right now? 

"Oh, hi Tony." Steve nodded as he entered. "JARVIS did say he'd finally convinced you to go, so I should get moving too." 

Tony made a mental note to change JARVIS' programing to something less gossiping. "Oh?" he said. "Any idea why we're both needed?" He'd assumed it was something technical.

Steve shrugged. "No idea. Sorry. Bruce only said it's important and that it has to do with that raid two days ago." 

Something nagged at the back of Tony's mind, but he couldn't get at it. He shoved it out of the way as the doors slid open to reveal Bruce's lab. It looked its usual self, save for the green-tinted cylinder with the fetus, standing near one of the work stations. That was where Bruce was too. Somehow this gave Tony a bad feeling. 

"Glad you could join me," Bruce said, almost without sarcasm. Tony had to respect his restraint. "I have some news about our..." he searched for words.

"Foundling," Tony supplied.

"Foundling. Yes. Good term," Bruce agreed. He put a gentle hand on the cylinder, stroked it in a fond way. Almost as if he thought the child would know. Even freakier, there was a kick just then and a lot of wiggling around. It seemed more active now than when they'd found it. 

"Tell us then. Have you found out who she is?" Steve asked. "How she got there?"

Tony had to admit to himself he hadn't even noticed the baby was a girl. Maybe because he felt uncomfortable looking at it; there was something wrong about a baby in a glass tube. Still, he was curious as to how it had ended up where they found it. 

"Well, as for _how_ \- they made her," Bruce said. "She's the result of a technique, very experimental, where the core of an ova is replaced with the DNA from a sperm cell and then fertilized by another sperm cell. They probably synthesized at least one of those via stem cell techniques. It's a mix of the methods used in cloning and those used in fertility treatments, to put it simply." 

Tony frowned. "So this baby has two daddies and no mommy?" he said. "Sounds oddly PC for a Nazi outfit..." 

"It's not any two fathers," Bruce said, hesitantly. He seemed reluctant to look at either of them; instead he was looking at the baby. "They were trying to breed a superhuman of sorts, I'm certain of that. Using material from the world's only super-soldier and one of its top geniuses. Since there are only a few of those, I'm guessing they chose based on proof that intelligence passes from father to child in that line..."

Steve paled and went rigid next to him. Tony was, for once in his life, failing to comprehend what the fuck this all meant. His head was spinning. It was very distracting. He wasn't even drunk.

"So..." Steve spoke, very slowly, as if trying to explain something. "So... you're saying... one of those men is me?"

Bruce nodded sympathetically. "I'm afraid so, Steve. We all know Hydra was obsessed with you. Seems these people took that with them and took it to some rather disturbing extremes." 

"And they paired me with...?" Steve said, almost expectantly, and made a move as if to look at Tony. What that – and the strangely apprehensive look on his face – meant, Tony couldn't decipher.

"With Tony, of course." Bruce looked at him now, a confused frown on his face. "Why else would I ask him to be here as well?"

"Me?" Tony didn't just feel dizzy now, he felt like he'd just knocked back around ten gin and tonics – without the tonic. He staggered and a strong hand gripped his arm to steady him. It was really strange to feel this drunk without drinking. "Why me?"

"One could speculate it's because your genetic material is so easy to come by," Bruce said dryly. 

Tony glared at him. "No slut-shaming the host," he muttered in an attempt to brush it off with a joke. Steve was still holding on to him, which was probably for the best. "Fuck... I'm going to be a father." He looked at Bruce, then at Steve, and then at the cylinder. "I'm going to be someone's _parent_ and I didn't even get to have sex to do it!"


	2. Chapter 2

Tony freed himself from Steve's grip and headed to the elevator. He needed a drink. A real one. Several, in fact. With the positive side-effects of being drunk rather than just the negative ones this piece of news had given him. Behind him he could hear Steve calling his name, then Bruce interrupting to suggest they instead start planning for the child's delivery. 

Safe in his penthouse and a couple of scotches later, Tony felt a lot more blasé about the whole thing. Okay, there was going to be a child with his genetic material walking around out there. But that didn't make it his. He hadn't tried to make it, had in fact actively avoided making babies his entire life, which was no mean feat given his partner count. He wasn't and wouldn't be responsible for it. The whole thing was coercive and pushed upon him - by mad Nazi scientists, no less - and he wasn't going to be a part of it. Save providing funds to keep the thing taken well care of, of course. But that was more like a human decency thing, nothing to do with his DNA.

That was it as far as he was concerned, and he forced the issue from his mind again. For the next couple of days, Tony split his time between the lab (his own) and bed (also his own and alone). He set his security preferences as high as he could get away with without setting off blaring alarms the moment someone knocked on the door, and then proceeded to ignore any and all attempts at contact. No fucking way was he having anything to do with a birth from a freaky glass cylinder, and no way was he going to discuss this and his impending genetic fatherhood with anyone.

Of course he hadn't counted on Pepper. She could bypass almost anything he put in her way. As a last resort she could always tell JARVIS it was about Stark Industries. Which was exactly what she did – and then had the gall to stick to that explanation. At least partially.

"You can't tell me this is about the company," Tony argued, wrench still in his hand. "My genes don't affect Stark Industries. Apart from those still in my body, and _they_ only help create stuff we make money on."

"Not correct," Pepper said, arms crossed and fixing her best 'not impressed' stare on him. "Stark Industries is, as you very well know, a family company. You own the controlling share, which is going to your next of kin should you die. This child will inherit, Tony. She's important." 

There with the 'she' again. How did Pepper even know the kid was a girl? Hell, how did she even know it existed? "Who told you about it?" Pepper didn't answer, just looked at him. "Was it Natasha? Really, you two are unnaturally close. She was only your assistant for a few weeks. No? JARVIS, was it you, you little rat?"

"Miss Potts has access to most of your files, sir," JARVIS reminded him. "As per your instructions." 

"And I have an alert for 'Tony's done something stupid' that gets my attention when you do." She was glaring now.

"What? But I didn't _do_ anything! This was done _to_ me!"

She finally seemed to be letting up a little. There was a soft sigh and she uncrossed her arms and walked closer. "I know you've always been careful and this must be a shock. Having a child isn't as such a bad thing, although I'd normally suggest getting married first. But really, Tony. This child could decide the future of Stark Industries. We need to be involved. _You_ need to be involved." She placed a hand on his arm. "And you, of all people, should know how it hurts to have a distant parent."

He pulled away from her. She'd almost had him there, but this... "No way. I'm not her dad. I'm not. We'll make sure she gets all the care she needs, gets the best parents we can fucking find in the entire world. But she's not mine! I can't raise a kid, Pep! I'd be horrible at it!" 

"You won't be alone in it," she said softly. "Everyone here seems pretty invested in making sure this child has a good life. We'll get outside help too, of course."

That was the point where Tony fled. Not only was he the worst parent material around, but the thought of having a child in the middle of the chaos that was The Avengers was insane. It would be a terrible place for it. For any child, let alone one that might be able to break down doors and solve third degree equations at four. Safe in the penthouse, Tony locked the elevator. Manually. He waited till JARVIS told him Pepper had left the building before returning to the lab.

. . .

The following day, Bruce sent him and Steve an email to inform him that Pepper had arranged for a team to help with the birth and neonatal care. He also kindly informed Tony that it would be happening in four days and that the child was doing well, and was very active. It was more info than Tony needed or wanted.

He did wonder how Steve was handling it all. Steve had been as shocked as him, he thought, but they hadn't spoken since. Okay, Tony had been actively avoiding people since then, but he also seriously doubted Steve would want to see him. Right now, Tony must be a reminder of what had happened to him; that Steve had, once again, been targeted by Nazis. The idea of using his genetic material to recreate the super-soldier serum wasn't exactly new either, but to breed a baby to do it... No, better leave him alone. Steve was a good guy, he didn't need more pressure right now. Tony suspected it wasn't a coincidence that Bruce informed both of them via email – Steve probably didn't want anything to do with this either. 

Tony hid his head in his hands, elbows on the desktop. Why the hell did those freaks do this? And who exactly had done it? More to the point, did they have more of his and Steve's genetic material? Would it happen again? Tony sat up straight. He might not be able to do anything about the impending fatherhood mess, but this he could fix. 

"JARVIS, show me the schematics of that baby tank," he said. "Holographic, please." A three-dimensional image of the glass cylinder appeared, complete with the baby inside. It moved and Tony hesitated to touch it, but then reached out and handled the image. He picked it up, examined it closely, enlarged sections.

"Lose the kid for now." It disappeared, leaving him with an empty cylinder to examine. It was a relief. Tony expanded the cylinder and began looking at the internal fittings. "Show hidden structures." Wires and tubes inside the frame became visible. "Are these marks original from the scan?"

"Yes, sir. Doctor Banner asked me to use x-ray and I took the chance to add the details to our model of the device itself."

Tony grinned. "Clever. Well done, JARVIS. Thanks." In there, between the scratches and marks from assemblage, were serial numbers and trade names. Those could be traced. 

The next days were a blur of drinking coffee, searching databases, examining various objects from the raid and hunting down sources. He went over and pestered Fury till he gave him access to interviews they'd done with the very few scientists found at the site. Most had fled or taken some kind of poison, some were accidentally killed by being in the way of an Avenger or five. 

Collateral damage, something Tony didn't feel too good about, but acknowledged had to happen. Steve disliked it with a passion and did all in his power to make sure no-one died. Tony sometimes wondered if he'd been that way in the world war, or if it was the war that had made him see things that way. Not that he thought about Steve right now, apart from how he was doing this to safeguard both of them. He was doing it for himself first and foremost. Helping out Steve was also collateral, just a benefit. At any rate, the captured individuals weren't all that communicative. In fact, they either knew nothing, like the guy who seemed to be a kind of janitor, or were indoctrinated beyond belief, in which case they either didn't say a word or spewed propaganda. It wasn't like Tony could force them. Not really. 

Returning from S.H.I.E.L.D. none the wiser, Tony wasn't too pleased to find his privacy invaded. Had it been anyone but Bruce, he'd probably have kicked them out, friendly or not. But this was Bruce; his friend and lab-buddy, possibly the only Avenger he could consistently have a sensible conversation with. So Tony didn't tell him to go. Instead he threw his jacket over a chair, rolled up his sleeves and picked up the damn circuit board he still hadn't finished analyzing.

"How's it going?" he asked as Bruce came closer to take a look. He stepped aside and let him have a look in the microscope. 

"All right. There isn't much to get from what organic material they left behind." Bruce gave the space back to Tony. "You seem to have more to work with."

"Yeah." Tony nodded. "I found the serial numbers for some of their components. Got some tracing going, but they've bought most of it with cash. So I haven't got much yet."

"Hm." Bruce nodded. "Did you get it off that?" He pointed to the board.

"No. This one... hasn't yielded much. Hence the microscope. I was hoping I'd see something new. And the bastards in Fury's dungeons aren't talking."

"You went to see the prisoners?"

"Mm-hm." Tony could see something. Was this a scratch or...? He moved to the larger electron microscope and tried again, fiddling with the dials. "After JARVIS x-rayed the tube thing and I found component serial numbers. That didn't lead to anything. So I figured, I might as well. Don't want them to fuck me over again. Or Steve. He doesn't need that kind of shit." There! Tony smiled to himself. A set of initials. Someone hadn't been able to resist making their mark on history in the making. "JARVIS, log this. Cross-reference with all the names we've been able to pull up. Fuck, cross-reference with any engineering student known to man that would be able to make this kind of thing. There can't be many." It was almost at his skill-level, so Tony had to deduce that whoever built this thing had to be insanely clever and completely off their rocker.

It was then that he realized that Bruce hadn't responded. A glance told him Bruce hadn't moved. He was standing three feet away and looking at Tony over the rim of his glasses, wearing an unreadable expression. 

"What?" Tony frowned, uncertain of the meaning of this.

"You're trying to find out who made the baby rather than finding out how they built an – albeit not working – time machine." Bruce took his glasses off, wiped them in his shirt. He always did that when he was stalling or getting uncomfortable. "Because you want to make sure you and Steve don't have more children you aren't aware of."

"Yes?" Tony failed to see how this was odd in any way. It was the logical step.

"Time machine." Bruce said, incredulous. "Vs. a baby you don't want and a friend you haven't spoken to for days. Despite the fact that you and he are in the same boat here and could probably both use the moral support." Bruce replaced the glasses and straightened up. "You might want to think about that. Why exactly those are your priorities."

"Because it's the sensible thing to do," Tony said, getting a little defensive. "The right thing as well. Do you want some crazy fascist to have a mix of me and Steve at his disposal? Because I don't."

"You _are_ a formidable pair," Bruce agreed in a mild tone of voice, almost soothing. "Complement each other well. In terms of skills and abilities." 

"Yeah. But that could be said for a lot of other people. I mean, especially alongside Steve. With his genes, anything will come out great."

"Indeed." Bruce looked down, and somehow Tony got the impression he was amused. "He's a good guy. You should talk to him. He'd appreciate hearing from his co-parent."

"I'm not a parent!" Tony glared at him.

"Co-donor, then." Bruce smiled softly this time. So deceptively mild to look at.

"Donor..." Tony sighed. "Yeah, all right, I'll take that. If I have to be anything to the kid at all."

"According to Miss Potts, you are something. You should come to the delivery."

"Abso-fucking-lutely not." Tony kept his voice level and calm. "No way. That glass thing doesn't need me to hold its hand, and I didn't fuck or marry it. You're on your own there." 

"More accurately, the medical team are," Bruce said. "I think Steve is going. But you should ask him. He wasn't entirely sure. Looks like he wants to but feels awkward about it. Not that I can blame him. Having a child suddenly appear like that is a shock to anyone."

"Hey, it was to me as well!" Tony was almost hurt. 

"Oh, I never doubted that. I mean, you've locked yourself in here ever since. Apart from a few times where you've apparently managed to get yourself to a bed." Bruce's tone was dry, bordering on acidic. He was concerned. "Text-book denial and all that, trying to work on the tech instead of your feelings. I know all about that... My advice, my friend, is to get a grip and deal. You may not like it, but that baby is arriving in a few days and she's yours."

Tony looked into the microscope again and decided he wasn't listening. After a while it worked, too, and he didn't really notice if Bruce spoke or not. When he looked up a while later, he was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

At two in the morning, Tony decided it was safe to sneak out of the workshop again. He'd missed at least two meals, and he wasn't entirely sure if it was the night after Bruce had invaded the workshop or the night after that. No matter which it were, the coffee maker wasn't really good at keeping him nourished. The kitchen was blissfully deserted, and Tony hit the fridge. Soon he was at the table, a single lamp spilling soft light over his corner of the room, food hot from the microwave and a cold coke. Impressive how much better a solid meal could make you feel; and how easily he forgot that.

He'd nearly finished when a light went on in the corridor outside the kitchen and before he could make his escape, a ruffled-looking Steve shuffled in, hair sticking out at odd angles, barefoot and wearing only sweatpants. Tony, who wasn't prepared for that in any way at all, stared. Okay, he knew just how good Steve looked, he wasn't blind, but something about the soft light really accentuated all the strong lines he was made up of. It was at odds with the vulnerability from the sleep-drunk look, and the combination was nothing short of incredibly sexy.

"Hey Tony." Steve waved, sleepy, and headed for the fridge. He grabbed the remainder of a quart of milk and drank half of it - probably a pint or something - in one go. Powerful swallows making the muscles in his neck work. Tony licked his lips.

"Uh. Hi," he remembered to say when Steve took the bottle away from his mouth and looked at Tony again. "Sleepless night?" He was vaguely aware of Steve not needing all that much sleep. They sometimes crossed paths at night, but he couldn't remember seeing Steve that undressed or tired-looking before.

Steve nodded; his eyes met Tony's and Tony felt like they were locked across the room. "Yeah. Lots to think about. As you know."

Did he? Tony's usually sharp mind seemed to be grasping for clues, faced with those eyes and pecs. Oh, right! "The baby?" he asked, a bit too late for comfort. 

"Yes. I don't know..." Steve ran a hand through his already mussed hair and made it stick up. Tony absurdly wanted to smooth it for him. "I worry about her. What to do. When she arrives. I know you've made sure there's someone to look after her. I'm glad you did. I don't know what I'd do if... if I was alone in this. Thank you."

Tony felt a small pang of guilt. "It's all Pepper," he said. "I haven't. Done anything. Actually."

"You pay for it. That counts."

"No, it doesn't. Money doesn't matter. Not to me, at least."

"Only a man who has too much of it says something like that." Tony could practically see the effect of a childhood in poverty reflected in Steve's eyes. He refused to feel bad about it.

"Perhaps." At least they weren't talking directly about the kid. He'd listen to moral judgement about his wealth all night if he didn't have to talk about the child. "Anyway, I can afford it, so no worries." He got up, put his plate in the dishwasher. Better get out of here before Steve got around to saying anything else.

"Tony." A hand settled on his shoulder as he stood up again. "Don't run away from this. I know Bruce tried to talk to you earlier. I should've come myself several days ago." 

Tony stood still, against the counter, hips resting against it, jaw clenched. Steve was so close. His hand was warm and Tony could vaguely pick up a faint scent of soap and warm skin. An old-fashioned smell, safe. "I don't want to talk about it," he said, soft but resolute. "I don't care if it's my genes. That doesn't make it my child, and I don't want to pretend that it does."

"I don't want to pretend either, Tony," Steve said. "She's... my daughter. I want to know her. But I'm worried too. There's so much to consider and I've no idea how to be a parent. I wish... We're friends, Tony. Perhaps-"

"No!" Tony tore free of Steve's grip, turning around to face him. "We're not going to be two men and a baby. My life is not a cute fucking rom-com with two daddies who are best friends and have the perfect life. Besides, we're Avengers, Steve! Superheroes! People try to kill us on a daily basis. They try to come here, they go after those we love. We can't. Have. A kid!" 

Steve looked at him for a few heartbeats. "You care a lot – thought about it a lot – for a man who doesn't want anything to do with it." 

"Coming from the man who can't sleep because he's worried about it, that's rich." Tony wasn't going to be dragged into this. Steve had a way with people, Tony included, getting them to do what he thought was the right thing. The fact that he often was right wasn't exactly helping now either. 

"Given that you've locked yourself away for days, that sounds like a case of pots and kettles," Steve said, though there wasn't much bite to his tone. "I hear you're tracking down the perpetrators too."

"Trying to. I don't want there to be any more kids." He looked into Steve's eyes. "Neither do you. Especially not in the hands of those people."

"No. I don't. You're right about that. But this one, Tony. She's already here. And it's not her fault how she came to be. She deserves a good life."

"Which is exactly why she can't stay with us. Don't you see? This isn't a place for a child. I mean, you'll probably be a great dad. You're good at everything you want. You're great with people. I've seen you with the kids who come running to meet us when we're out." Tony shook his head. "You'll be fine. I won't. I'll fuck it up in no time."

There was another long pause where Steve simply looked at him, until Tony started to feel weird about it. "I don't think you would," Steve said, slowly, deliberately. "I think... I think you'd do just fine. Because you're worried."

"That's bullshit, Steve." Tony crossed his arms. "Being honest about my limitations isn't the same as being able to overcome them. An elephant knows it can't climb a tree – that doesn't make it able to learn."

"But you're not an animal. Nor are you incapable of love and care and all the things parenthood are made of."

"That's not fair, Steve. Trying to talk me into this. I know it won't end well. Why can't you accept that and let me do what I can from afar? I'm not stopping you from being as involved as you want. Can't you let me be not-involved in peace?"

Another of those pauses where Steve's eyes seemed to burn into him. "All right." He nodded, took a step back, which felt like he was releasing Tony from some kind of invisible chain. "Send the people and the money and whatever you need to do to feel good about yourself." This time there was a bite to the words and Tony steeled himself to avoid flinching. 

"I will," he said, coldly, and strode past Steve. "Have fun with parenthood."

. . .

Sleep didn't come easily that night, and for whatever reason, it was very hard to focus on his work the following days. Two days after, around four pm when the medical team extracted the baby girl from the glass cylinder, Tony wasn't at all watching. He was coding. The fact that the biggest screen in his work space was running a live feed from Bruce's lab was a complete coincidence. And the sight of Steve holding the small child in his arms wasn't at all the reason Tony had this deep, empty feeling in his stomach.


	4. Chapter 4

The best part of the child being out of the box, so to speak, was that people stopped harassing him about it. Apparently if you weren't around for the birth of your kid, you really were a douche and not interested. Good, Tony could deal with that. He was used to being called cold, calculating and emotionally detached and all that. It didn't bother him, which probably proved it true. 

At any rate, he could get on with work, and didn't have to hide from the rest of the team, as soon as the first few days had passed. After that, they stopped trying to congratulate him and things seemed to return to normal. Whatever that meant when you were a bunch of superheroes living in a New York skyscraper. 

A couple of days after the child was out, Tony managed to have a sensible conversation with Natasha. She didn't mention babies or formula or nannies once, as she had the first time he'd seen her. (Okay, to be fair, that had been on the day, and everyone had been excited about being aunts and uncles. Tony had only ventured out of the workshop because he ran out of coffee.) At least this time, Nat listened to his arguments about the baby makers and possible sinister purposes. She agreed to help with investigating. A few days later, Clint let something drop that led Tony to the conclusion that he, too, was helping with it now, and at one point not long after, he realized it was now officially a team project. It gave him a sense of satisfaction that they took him seriously on this, even though he hadn't wanted to be part of the whole baby affair. It also meant he wasn't alone on it and could work on several things again, his preferred working style.

Working like that was always exciting. Hit a dead end on one project? Shift to something else. Tony did some of his best thinking while doing other things. One of his favorite ways of getting past deadlocks was working on simpler stuff. Engines, for example. They were a comfort with their predictability, their smooth, moving parts and lack of complicated attempts at thought. He was hitting plenty of walls in his current projects, so consequently he spent a good deal of time in the garage under the tower. There was an added bonus of people rarely thinking to look for him there. Pepper being a notable exception. Down here he could count on not being disturbed, especially since Pepper was a rare guest. 

At present, Tony had dismantled the engine of a classic MG. It was different from the rest because it hadn't been his or his dad's. It was this mom's. Small, rounded, a pretty thing. It was from '68, a soft-top and British Racing Green. It was all the things the hot rod wasn't. Tony loved it for being not the usual kind of thing in the Stark collection. He'd come down here thinking he'd fiddle with the Ferrari, but the MG had called out to him instead. He'd remembered the murmur on the engine, the slowness of the clutch, and decided that today he'd work on her. The parts were strewn out over the floor, one in his hand being cleaned and checked over while his mind drifted. Next to him, his tablet was on, showing the nursery that had sort of evolved on its own up on the floor where The Avengers had their communal area. 

It wasn't that Tony was looking, not really, but he liked checking in once in a while. Just to make sure the kid was okay. Besides, it was easy enough to change between that and JARVIS' various functions. He needed JARVIS, and having the tablet handy was good. The camera was fine enough that he could give JARVIS close-ups of parts that were too small for the regular (aka inadequate) security cameras down here to pick up. That way he could still log his progress and JARVIS could see well enough to help analyze. 

He heard the footsteps just in time to flick a finger across the screen and shift from the picture of the baby to a schematic of the engine. 

"Hey," came Steve's voice from the far end of the garage.

"Hi." Tony waved a hand in his direction, but didn't shift his attention. If he sounded short it was because he really didn't like to be interrupted when he was trying to think.

"Sorry. I can see you're busy." He didn't sound sorry, not really, but Steve was nothing if not polite. Okay, maybe one thing: tenacious. "But it's almost impossible to find you at a time when you're not."

"Granted," Tony said, putting the part aside and picking up the fuel injector to go over that. "For the record, I prefer to be interrupted when I'm doing something that won't get anyone blown up or something. Which, I suppose, means that this isn't the worst time you could pick." 

There was a soft chuckle behind him. One of the things Tony really liked about Steve was that he knew when Tony was joking. Most people gave him strange looks when he said something like that. Like they were afraid he might actually blow them up by accident. Steve never seem worried about that. Surprisingly enough, he trusted Tony. Something that might not be advisable, but which Tony appreciated all the more for it. 

"Well, I doubt you'll do any damage with that thing right now." Steve crouched down, at a respectful distance, and looked over the engine parts. "What are you looking for?"

"There's a strange sound on the engine," he said. "I think one of the valves, but I might as well look it all over."

Steve nodded. "Sounds sensible," he said, again with the good sense and tact to neither touch anything, nor ask if he could help. "I don't remember seeing that car before."

"You probably haven't. I don't drive her. She was my mom's."

"Ah." Steve didn't ask any further. But he understood. From one orphan to another. "It's a good-looking one. I don't know cars, but... that one looks old and new to me at once. Old for now, new for me."

"It's from the sixties," Tony said. "Well spotted." He shot Steve a small smile. It was the first time Tony got a look at him since he arrived. Steve looked mostly at ease, but there was a certain tension in his spine. "But you didn't come here to talk about cars. Or do small-talk."

"I didn't, no. But..." Steve gestured over the area that the engine now covered. "I admit it's fascinating to look at this. You. Working. And the car. It's very pleasing to the eye. Nice shape." His gaze drifted from the car to Tony. 

Tony often forgot that Steve had been an artist. Was an artist. He supposed you never stopped being that. Just like Tony never stopped being a tinkerer, even when he had more than enough people to do the work for him. All he really needed to do was hash out ideas and pass them on, but he preferred to be hands on. 

"It's a very pretty car," he agreed. "But tell me what you came for. I'd rather just hear it, if you don't mind." He put the fuel injector aside and turned his attention to Steve.

"Okay." Steve, too, sat down on the floor. Without the benefit of the pad Tony was sitting on it had to be a cold and hard seat. But Steve didn't seem to mind; he looked utterly at ease, sitting cross-legged and leaning his elbows on his knees. "I suppose you've already guessed what it's about."

Tony nodded. "It's the chief subject of conversation these days," he said, keeping his tone neutral. 

"Yeah. I suppose she is." Steve cocked his head to one side. "I don't agree with you, as you know, but you were right that night. What you do is your choice."

At least they could agree on that. "But here you are anyway. Trying to talk me into something again."

Steve nodded. "Yeah. Because it seems wrong to decide without you."

"Decide what?" 

"What to name her."

For some reason it hadn't really occurred to Tony that they'd have to give the baby a name. He didn't know why, but it came as a surprise. "Oh," was all he managed, and hoped Steve took it as surprise that he was being asked rather than guess the real reason.

Steve smiled softly; Tony must look pretty silly. At least it was one of Steve's genuine smiles. The kind that lit up his face and made him even better-looking. "Yes. Oh." His eyes were warm and the look was directed firmly at Tony. It gave him a very distinct feeling deep in his stomach. He pushed it away and attempted to focus on the subject at hand.

"Did you... have any suggestions?" Tony tried. Fuck, why did he say that? Why not just tell Steve to come up with something and he'd be okay with that? 

"Well..." Steve shrugged. "Several. But. I'm not sure. What's a good name for a child in this age?" He shook his head. 

"Anything you want," Tony said, slightly cynical.

"That was my impression too." Steve's dry tone told Tony just how unimpressed he was with that trend. "But I am not going to call my kid anything silly. I want her to have a good name. Solid."

"Call her Stephanie, then," Tony suggested, winking at him.

This time Steve was the surprised one. Then he laughed. "Thanks for the compliment. But no. That would be stupid."

"If she'd been a boy, Steve junior wouldn't have been off," Tony argued. "Why is it wrong for a girl?"

"What? Should we call her Antonia, then?" Steve was still grinning, the laugh lingering on his face. Tony found himself leaning a little closer, for no reason at all. 

"Hey, that wouldn't be a bad idea," Tony said, smirking, but then reconsidered. "No. I mean. That wouldn't be fair. If all she has is my name and money. That's worse than the money alone."

"Well, Miss Potts insists she should have the Stark surname. So she's going to have your name anyway."

Fuck. "Oh, no. No." Tony shook his head. "I'll talk to Pepper about that. And anyway, in that case there's no fucking way she should be called Antonia too!"

Steve was laughing again, but this time it bothered Tony. He glared till Steve stopped. "Sorry." Steve didn't look too regretful. "It's just. It is kind of funny." He got up from the floor. "Look. Think about it, okay?"

"Okay." Tony looked down; he sounded sullen, even to himself.

"We could name her for your mother or favorite actress or whatever." Olive branch, then. Tony looked at him again. Cate might not be a bad name.

"Who is your favorite actress anyway?" he asked, because god knew who Steve might have fancied back in the day or if he'd discovered someone like Lindsay Lohan or whatever. Something terrible.

"Marlene Dietrich." Steve shot him a grin and turned away. "But Maria might be nicer."

Tony looked after him as he left and couldn't shake the thought that not only had he no idea who Steve's parents had been, he hadn't expected Steve to know _his_ mother's name.


	5. Chapter 5

Tony had expected Steve to seek him out again later the same day - or the following at the latest - but he didn't. A day after that, Tony started to wonder and, kind of on a whim, asked JARVIS to notify him when Steve went to visit the baby.

When he saw him there in the afternoon, he could honestly say he'd never seen anything like it. Steve's expression changed the moment he saw the baby. How Steve, who was all angles, could look so soft was a mystery. When the nurse handed the baby to him, Steve cradled her in his arms, smiling, talking, and there was a light in his eyes that Tony hadn't seen before. Except, a fraction of it had been present the other day, in the garage, when they were talking baby names. Which made sense, since they were talking about the kid. When Steve got a bottle and began feeding her, Tony turned it off again. It was too much. His teeth would rot if he kept watching this. 

Yet, he couldn't stop going back to it. Day after day, Tony kept looking at the damn footage. He even set up a subroutine so JARVIS gave him an alert when Steve visited the baby. When he didn't, JARVIS made sure to collect some footage. He felt guilty about it, and it was kind of a creepy thing to do, but he couldn't resist looking. New bits were added every day, and he had it running in the background while he worked. There was just something addictive about it, and he found himself staring at it from time to time. After a while he had to admit to himself that a) the kid was kind of cute, he was even starting to think she had pretty eyes and b) Steve was mesmerizing when he was all soft and vulnerable holding a tiny baby, that only made him look bigger and stronger in comparison. Just conflicting images and juxtapositions and all that. It was pretty simple to figure out why it appealed so much to him, all it took was basic logic; Tony had always been attracted to fit men. It was quite another thing to force himself to ignore it, close off the attraction and stop looking at Steve. Tony had never been good at denying himself anything. Not even when it was something that would undoubtedly fuck up the team and cost him a budding friendship if anyone found out.

And someone finding out was a pretty real risk. There was a near miss when Bruce came by to hash out some things on one of the latest projects, and another when Steve came by again. He hadn't heard anyone enter, and for some reason he'd forgot to turn off the little loop of Steve trying his best to get the child to smile, even though she was too young for that. Steve had been several steps into the workshop before Tony noticed and hurriedly whispered a command to make the image disappear. For several seconds, he was sure Steve had seen, and he tensed up, worried about the reaction, but none came. He'd been sure he was done for.

"Hey. I know you're probably busy again, but we haven't finished that name talk," Steve said. For a split second Tony didn't comprehend. He was so sure he'd get a lecture on watching people who didn't know about it, that the friendly and casual tone threw him off. 

"Er." He blinked. "Name, right!" He pushed one of the office chairs and it rolled a few feet in Steve's direction. Steve spun it and sat, facing Tony.

"Our daughter," Steve said, like a friendly reminder, and Tony didn't even correct him. Had to be the surprise still in effect.

"Yes. The baby. I know. Did you come up with anything?" 

"Sort of, but I thought you might like to know that I think I have a solution for the issue with her last name. One that will placate Miss Potts and hopefully not bother you."

That was interesting. "Let me hear it."

"It's simple, really." Though for some reason, Steve seemed a little shy to speak up. And shyness wasn't his most prominent trait. 

"Yes...?" Tony prompted, took a step closer without thinking. 

"Well, I thought we could call her Stark Rogers. That way she has the Stark name and it's not the last one, but she can drop mine later if she wants." 

Brilliant and simple. "All right. Or, you know, switch them." Tony felt compelled to reassure Steve that he wouldn't necessarily have his name removed from the papers if that happened.

"All right?" Steve looked surprised. "You agree to that?"

"I agree to that." Maybe he didn't dislike the idea of the kid having his name as much as he once had. He could change his mind. "First name?" 

Steve was smiling now. "I thought perhaps... Natasha?" 

"You want to name our daughter after a Russian super assassin?" Tony looked at him, skeptical, weighing it. "At least it's a gutsy move. I should've known. Bravery is your strong suit. But why?"

"She's a woman we both know. I presume we both like her and admire her skills and intelligence. She's not related to either of us and so none of us have an attachment to the name over the other."

"You're practically Solomonic about it," Tony said, unable to keep a sardonic edge out of his voice.

Steve's eyes grew colder. "If you need more, how about that she's a strong woman, capable, intelligent, an excellent role model for our daughter."

"If you want her to grow up a mass-murderer," Tony shot back, too angry to care that he was being unfair. "Which I don't want."

"And what do you want?" Steve's jaw was set, clenched, his eyes had gone from cool to icy. "You've been more than firm on not wanting to be involved."

"You mean aside from paying for it all. On top of, you know, keeping _you_ and everyone else here well looked after."

"I can easily go. I'm sure the others can too. I don't need charity, Tony. I accepted this for the sake of the team. I can take care of myself just fine!"

"Oh, don't give me that poor man's pride crap. This isn't about you." Tony rolled his eyes, waved Steve off. "Try growing up with the knowledge that you have to perform, have to be perfect, have to be whatever people expect of you – just based on your name. Don't you think our baby has enough already, being stuck with our names?"

"So it isn't about me, but it's all about you..." Steve's eyes narrowed and he leaned back, away from Tony, arms crossed. "You're not even involved. Have you even seen her yet? Held her?"

Tony glared. "No."

"Well, then what right do you even have to talk here? Perhaps I should just name her."

"All right!" Tony threw up his hands. "Fuck it. You get your way! Natasha! Fine!"

"Good!" Steve stood up again, quick enough that the chair flew backwards several yards. "Natasha Stark Rogers. I'll talk to Saint Patrick's."

"Wait, you're catholic?" Tony held up a hand. "You can't just go ahead and decide she's getting your religion too."

"Yes. I can. And on that one, I'm not giving quarter, Tony." The glare in Steve's eyes was strong enough that Tony decided he'd have that discussion another day.

. . .

At least Steve got thoroughly distracted from arranging any religious ceremonies. Natasha and Clint got a lead on another lab run by the same organization that had spawned the baby, and the Avengers sprung to action.

They did meet some resistance, but not a lot. At least not given what they were capable of handling. Everyone considered it important, however, and the mood was sombre. Tony let Thor, Clint and Natasha sweep up while he, Steve and Bruce examined the labs themselves, meticulously destroying or dismantling equipment. 

Steve was the one who found the freezers. Two of them, holding samples in vials. One was marked CA/SR and the other IM/TS. It didn't leave much doubt. Still, Bruce checked the content of the actual vials.

"Yeah. This is it, guys. Genetic material of various kinds. Or, should I say, various from Steve. For you, Tony, there's just a few." He sent Tony a look that left little doubt about what kind of material they had from him. "Given the equipment they have here..."

"They synthesized reproduction at this site," Tony finished, preferring to avoid all the details right now. 

"Exactly." Bruce nodded and very gently lowered the rack of vials back into the container. "They must have moved the fertilized result to the container we found when it was ascertained the cells were dividing."

Tony and Steve let Bruce deal with disposing of sensitive organic material, and kept searching the area. 

"Say... is there a secret door here?" Steve asked when they reached the back wall. "Around there." He pointed, outlining an area that to Tony looked no different than any other.

"Hang on." He put the helmet back on and ran a quick scan. "Damn. You're right. JARVIS is reading an outline and there's a space back there about three-hundred and fifty square feet big."

"Can you see any way to open it? Or do we need to call Thor?" 

"Hm..." Tony walked closer, checking the seam in the wall. "Here. I think." He slid a hand over what appeared to be a concealed panel and nothing happened. "Damn. It might respond to skin, though. You try."

"Okay..." Steve touched the same area and there was a click and a sigh from hidden hydraulics as a big section of the wall pulled back and then to the side. Gradually, a room came into view. Along each wall were several cylinders of the kind they'd extracted from the other lab, only these were smaller and contained almost identical very small fetuses.

"Well. Fuck," Tony muttered.

"I guess they didn't move her right away, then," Steve said and slowly walked in, looking at all the tubes. He looked like a sleepwalker, or a man who truly couldn't believe his own eyes. Tony could relate. "Do you really think they're all..." 

"Us?" Tony shook his head. "I don't know... Bruce? Could you join us?" 

Shuffling steps were heard and then Bruce's head, followed by the rest of him appeared.

"My god..." He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "This is..." A shake of the head. "Indescribable."

"Can you tell if they're ours?" Tony urged, impatient. 

Bruce frowned. "I'll look around for evidence. But I can tell you these are all very early in development. Between four and eight weeks. Why don't you two search the file cabinets and the computer." 

Since no-one with half a brain would doubt the division of labor, they got to it. Tony had barely begun to break into the computer system, when he heard a clatter, followed by a loud crash and a shout from Steve. The quiet they'd been in for a while now was broken so sharply, Tony nearly knocked the computer screen off the table. He caught it before it fell, and looked up to see Steve holding a guy in a lab coat very firmly by the arm. 

"I think we may have someone here who can help us," Steve said, looking and sounding palpably angry. He pushed the lab guy up against the wall. "So you, talk. What are these?" He gestured to the cylinders along the walls. "Are they more products of your super-soldier breeding?"

The scientist looked terrified. Tony would have been too in his position, but he didn't feel the least sorry for him. When the guy didn't answer right away, Tony walked over, making sure to sound as heavy as he could. There was something about the stomp of an Iron Man suit that impressed people.

"The Captain here might object to this," he said. "But I'm pretty sure you know I've no compunctions about making good on threats." He punched the wall about a foot from the man's head, just to make sure. 

"Yes!" The word was more a squeak than a cry. "Yes, they're… they're... dear god, yes, they're all made from you two."

Tony could see Steve's grip tighten on the man's arms to the point where it had to hurt. It was the first time he'd seen him close to losing control like that. "Why?" Steve said, seemingly through clenched teeth. 

"W-we had to. Keep trying," the scientist stuttered. "They would've killed me if I hadn't."

"What does that mean, keep trying?" Steve demanded.

"Steve." Tony cut in, both relieved and revolted, placing a hand on Steve's arm. "I think he means these are failed tries. They aren't alive." The relief he felt was palpable, and he could see the moment it dawned on Steve too. First there was a flood of something soft, changing him entirely, and then the tension returned, as anger grew again.

"You mean to say... you have twenty dead babies in here? To study. And... and that girl... she's the only one who lived? And you kept doing it?!?"

"They are more like blobs than babies," Tony commented, still feeling his skin crawl. "But we knew these guys were mad scientists, right? In the horror film sense. So... I wish I were surprised." 

"Did you make more after her?" Steve asked. There was a nod. "Any other that made it past the stage here?" This time the lab coat shook his head. 

"The method isn't perfected," he said. "Some of them are unstable, have mutations that stops development or they simply die. We strive for perfection. The Aryan super-soldier can't be imperfect. We weren't sure about the girl either. She might be weak." 

"Are you trying to say you wanted to kill my daughter because she's a _girl_?" This time Tony didn't try to calm Steve. As far as he was concerned, breaking this one's arms wasn't a great crime. Though he did wonder how much this guy had been coerced and how much he actually believed this fucked-up ideology he was spewing. 

"We were going to see if she developed correctly," the scientist said. Tony wondered why he even answered. Was he really that crazy? "If not, we might be able to use her blood. Or organs. Something would come of it." 

There was a loud, sort of sick, thud and the lab Nazi sagged in Steve's grip. Next to Tony was Bruce, fists clenched. He'd punched the guy and looked as if he might blow up any moment. Tony was sure there was a green tinge in his skin already.

"Steve. Grab the guy and go. I'll get the computer," Tony said and took off. Behind him he could hear Steve's footfall and Bruce's heavy breath as he tried to stay in control. 

They barely made it out of the lab before the sound of glass breaking rang out behind them.


	6. Chapter 6

JARVIS helped Bruce crack the computer and it spilled all the files about the 'breeding project' (as the files so charmingly called it). It wasn't pleasant reading. No-one felt like going into detail about it, but it confirmed what the guy Steve had captured had said. He was stuck in one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s high-security facilities now, and Tony was sure they were extracting any beans he hadn't already spilled. For now he was satisfied, as long as there were no more secret baby farms.

Tony found there was a strange lack of a purpose after that. He'd put more energy into solving this than he'd thought, and now it was over. Yes, it was a relief, but it left him with the feeling that, despite all he'd done, there was unfinished business with regards to the girl. 

Watching Steve with her was no help. Nor was the discovery that it wasn't just Steve who visited the baby, though he was the only one who was there several times a day. All the other Avengers looked in on her regularly. 

Clint poked his head in sometimes and made faces at the kid till she made one back or smiled. Bruce rubbed her belly, made sure she was always healthy, and let her pull his hair. Natasha encouraged her to pull her finger and praised her for being strong. Thor could hold her in one hand and she nearly disappeared when he picked her up with a care Tony had rarely seen in anyone. Except Steve, of course. Steve who was there a lot. Who laughed with her and played with her and fed her and changed her diapers. Who looked like the little girl was the most amazing thing in the world, and was so at ease with her that Tony couldn't stop looking, no matter how hard he tried. This was Steve, his friend and team leader. Having a thing for him was not exactly helpful in any fucking way. Besides, he really didn't need an unrequited crush thing right now. He was barely over Pepper, and Steve was as American and wholesome as apple pie and corn. Not really the kind of guy whose pants you just casually tried to get into. 

In an attempt to get over this stupid thing, Tony made JARVIS cut off the feed from the nursery and threw himself back into work. The time machine circuit still hadn't given up all its secrets, he was sure of it, and the Bugatti could do with a tune-up – and he still hadn't fixed the clutch on the MG, though he did sort out the engine. He'd also had an idea for some alterations to the next version of the Iron Man suit that he couldn't wait to try out. 

It all worked completely according to plan for three days. He didn't spy on Steve or the kid, he finished with the circuit board, tuned the Bugatti and drew up some sketches for the new boot units for the suit. He'd just allowed himself some time to work on the MG when things went awry. 

"Tony, my friend." Thor's heavy steps echoed through the garage and his booming voice was enhanced by the concrete. 

"Here," Tony called, resigned to the fact that this was Thor and he'd never stop looking. Also, Tony was under the car and couldn't exactly get away quickly. 

Moments later, he could see Thor's boots, then his smiling face as he bent down to look. "Ah. You are down here. For a moment I thought your vehicle had your voice."

All things considered, that wasn't an unlikely thing for Tony to do, so he didn't comment. "What brings you down here?" he asked. "I was trying to get something done..." 

"I regret to have to interrupt," Thor said. "But you are urgently needed." 

"What?" Tony frowned and began to wiggle out from under the car. "What's the emergency?"

"The nanny is ill and a replacement is not yet here," Thor said. Tony froze for a second, then pushed his way out. Towering above him was Thor, holding the baby girl. 

"And... why is this my problem...?" Tony asked, apprehensive. "Just because I pay them doesn't make me the emergency back-up."

"I do not know what you mean by that, but you are the only one here." Thor handed him the baby and Tony had the presence of mind to hold on when she was left in his arms. His hands and t-shirt were really oily and the pastel colored onesie was stained instantly. The kid made a gurgling sound. 

Tony gave Thor a desperate look. "You're here. You've spent time with her! I don't know anything about babies!" 

Thor shook his head. "I will not pass judgement on that. Though I must tell you I am about to leave with my lady Jane and she will not appreciate an infant on our date." Tony sympathized with the sentiment. Jane was sensible like that, not the type to coo more than was reasonable. Besides, if you had a date with Thor, you'd want to be alone with him.

"And... no-one else is around? Really?" It was hope against hope.

Thor nodded. "Clint and Natasha are at S.H.I.E.L.D., Bruce has gone away for the day and Steve is running." Tony mentally assessed those. Bruce gone probably meant he'd gone on one of his treks through deserted rural areas to unwind; who knew how long Fury would keep the assassin twins; and Steve running probably meant he was gone for at least a few hours. He rarely ran less than ten miles.

Tony sighed and looked at the unwelcome bundle in his arms. "Right. Did they say anything about a replacement?" What the fuck was he going to do with a baby? In a garage, of all things.

"The kind lady said they were sending someone within an hour," Thor assured him, patting his shoulder. "Do not fret, my friend. It is no burden to care for a child. It is joy." 

Tony glared at him. Easy to say when you didn't have to and he doubted Thor had ever had to change diapers. Not that Tony had either, but he wasn't rubbing someone's nose in having to do it. 

Thor didn't appear to notice Tony's displeasure. "You should think of another name for her," he said, looking thoughtful. "It is the cause of confusion to have two of the same name under one roof. I have told Steve this as well, when he asked if I would bear witness to your naming ceremony." 

So Steve had gone ahead in making plans for that? Tony felt a small pang. This time he hadn't been included, not even as a courtesy. "I'll think about that," he said, brushing Thor off. 

"You might consider giving her a warrior name," Thor remarked as he turned to leave. "It would suit a child of two such great men."

Tony looked at the pink-faced little thing in his arms. She waved a tiny fist in the air, but she didn't look like a warrior to him, though he appreciated the praise inherent in Thor's words. He sighed. "So... where can I put you while I work," he muttered. The baby's only response was to wave and gurgle again. Tony frowned. "Why'm I even talking to you. It's not like you understand anyway..." He looked around, thinking. 

Five minutes later, a slightly oil-stained baby was lying on the old car-seat he'd ripped out of the rod a few months back and he was back under the MG. It wasn't long before he forgot she was even there, busy as he was with fixing the clutch. It was at least half an hour before he finally extracted himself from under the car to find the kid had fallen asleep. She'd rolled over and looked very comfortable. "Hm. At least you have good taste in beds," Tony told her. "That's leather, I can tell you." 

He looked down at her, and, on an impulse, stroked her cheek. It left a smudge of oil and he chuckled softly at the sight. It was oddly familiar; he remembered his mother's sighs whenever he looked like that. Granted, he'd been older, but still. He tried to wipe it away, but only succeeded in smearing it a little – and waking her up again. Big, blue eyes, exactly like Steve's, gazed up at him, unguarded and open. It was kind of eerie. Tony picked her up so she wouldn't stare like that. 

Baby at his shoulder, he looked the car over, wiping his hands on one of the rags lying around. The girl's clothes were even more stained now, but she'd have to deal with that if she wanted to be his daughter. "We should test this. See if I got that clutch properly fixed. Wanna go for a ride?" He held her out and apparently that was good, because he got a toothless smile and a bubbly kind of gurgle. "All right. Ride it is. But you've gotta lie still. This thing doesn't have baby seats." 

After a few attempts at securing her, Tony cobbled something together out of the discarded car seat, half a fender, gaffer tape and the seatbelt to hold it all in place on the passenger seat. It might not be road safe, but he wasn't going anywhere. All he needed was to start up the car and drive round the garage once or twice to check things, it wasn't like anything was going to happen. Despite the voice in the back of his head, not unlike his mom's, that nagged about seat belts and safety.

Fully intending to make it the shortest ride he'd ever taken, Tony started up the engine. It hummed pleasantly, and he was pleased to hear there was still no trace of the murmur. He swung around the garage twice and was parking again when he glanced at the kid. She was smiling like mad, waving arms and legs, clearly having the time of her life. The moment he killed the engine she stopped, eyes wide, and then a wail filled the air.

"Hey, hey! Don't do that!" Tony hurriedly picked her up, but that only got her to scream louder. "Oh, fuck. I knew this was going to end badly..." He groaned and tried rocking her, patting her back. Even went so far as to check her diaper, but thankfully that wasn't the issue. "God, please be quiet! Or tell me what you need? Come on! If you're my kid, surely you know how to do that!" But she just cried and writhed and screamed. 

Until Tony put her back down on the seat. She shut up and looked at him, and he could've sworn there was an expectant look in her eyes. Only, that really couldn't be, not at her age. He looked back, not yet daring to hope she'd not start up again. She kept staring, and then, gradually, her face twisted and the wails began again, rapidly growing in volume. Tony, getting desperate, turned on the engine just to see if he could drown her out. 

For a second he thought he had, but when he looked down he saw that she'd stopped and was close to a smile. "Oh." He grinned back at her. "Yeah, I get that," he said. "A lady of good taste. Sorry. I was slow on the uptake." Without any hesitation, he got the car in gear and rolling.

An hour later, when Steve arrived, Tony was so sick of driving around the garage that he could've cried himself. But when he stopped to talk to Steve, the wails began all over again. This time, however, Steve leaned over the side of the car and picked the baby up. The moment she saw him, she stopped crying. 

Tony's head fell back against his seat. "Thank fuck you're here," he said with a groan. "It's all well and good that our kid likes classic cars, but I was going mad there. She wouldn't let me stop! Do you have any idea how boring it is to drive around down here?"

Steve, smiling at the baby, looked up for a second and flashed a wider grin at Tony. "How long have you been at it?" He was still wearing his running gear. Shorts and a sweaty t-shirt was a good look on him.

"An hour. Seriously, Steve." Tony sighed, exaggerated, and made a face at him. "If I killed the engine, she started screaming! If I stopped driving she'd start whining and work up to more bawling."

Steve laughed softly. "She knows what she wants. Besides, I read that a lot of babies like driving. Supposedly it's something about how cars move."

"How come you can pick her up and she smiles?" Tony muttered, displeased. "The best I got was wide-eyed stares. Though I like that she slept on the leather seats but nowhere else. Girl's got taste."

Steve sent him a soft look, close to reproachful. "Because she knows me, Tony. She sees me all the time. I'm her parent." 

Tony made a face. "Right. Did Thor talk to you about names?" 

"Yes." Steve nodded. "He's sort of got a point." He bounced the girl on his arm. "This one needs food and clean clothes. Why don't you park and we'll talk about it while I take care of that. You got more oil on her than on you, which is saying a lot."

Tony shot him a smile and parked the car. 

"So. Not Natasha after all?" he said as they were all riding up in the elevator.

"I guess not. Maybe a warrior name is a good idea. She doesn't look like a Russian super spy." 

"Nor does she look like a warrior, as Thor seems to think." 

"To me he said she was the daughter of warriors, not that she was one," Steve said. "Did he tell you otherwise?"

"No. It's just that... she's a baby." The elevator stopped and the two of them stepped out and walked towards the nursery. "It's really hard to think of her as Boadicea or something."

Steve chuckled. "No-one says we have to call her that," he said. "There are other warrior women in history or myth." 

"Hm." Tony leaned against the wall while Steve dug out fresh clothes for the kid. "Like Eleanor of Aquitaine?"

"For example. Or Joan of Arc. Or, if we talk about myth, which might be fitting, there's Sif or Artemis. Or Diana."

Tony chewed on that a bit. Steve handed him the baby again, and it felt less strange and stressing to hold her now he that wasn't on his own with her. "Artemis is weird", he said. "Hippie. Diana is just too soon."

"Too soon?" Steve appeared from behind a cupboard door, holding a blanket, which he draped over his shoulder. 

"Yeah. There was this English princess," Tony said. "Died in an accident."

"Okay, no dead princesses," Steve agreed and lead the way towards the kitchen. "Any of the others you like? Or any suggestions?"

"I kind of like Sif. I don't know why. It just rings right..." The kid in his arms tugged at his sleeve, a warm presence against his body.

"It's not bad, I agree." Steve found what Tony presumed was formula and a bottle and there was something with a microwave and stuff that he didn't really pay attention to. "What about Eleanor, though? It's a good name."

Tony smiled. Figured that Steve would like that one. "Solid, like you said." 

"Yeah," Steve smiled at him. "Is it terribly old-fashioned?"

"A bit. But that's in. So." Tony shrugged.

"Here." Steve draped the blanket over Tony's shoulder and arm and arranged the baby there. "Hold her like this." A bottle was pressed into his other hand. "Go on."

Tony got a flash of that panic again. "Steve..." He shook his head. "I can't. Don't... Please don't..." 

Steve took his hand with the bottle and raised it, positioned it. The little girl made grabby hands at it and before Tony fully understood it, she was drinking. 

"You can," Steve said softly. "You're doing just fine." He was standing very close. Tony could feel the heat from him, the smell of his sweat from his run. He swallowed hard. His mouth felt very dry. "Tony... I know you're scared. I think I even know why. But I know you've been watching the nursery, watching me with her." 

Tony wanted to pull away, but he was against the counter, and he had an armful of hungry baby, and there was no escape. "I was just... checking..." he muttered, looking down. The baby was making sucking sounds and her eyes were closed. She looked very content. "Just take her, Steve. I can't do this."

"You want to, though. Perhaps not the way I do, but you care." 

"But I'll be a terrible parent." Tony swallowed again, still looking at Steve. "What if..."

"If you mess it up?" Steve gave his shoulder a squeeze. "All parents do. It's inevitable. But you're not alone in this. I'm here, heck, everyone in this house, plus Miss Potts, Miss Foster and your army of childcare experts are here. I'd say your odds are pretty good, Tony." 

Tony looked down at the girl and nodded. He wanted to try.


	7. Chapter 7

It wasn't really that life changed completely with being a dad. There were still missions and briefings and all-nighters in the workshop. But there were also more quiet moments. Tony hadn't ever thought it would be like that to have a child. 

Feeding her in the evening after working on a new weapons system for the suit was a great way to unwind. Dropping by the nursery to see Steve on the floor, baby asleep on his chest, could make him smile for days just thinking of it. Walking around with Steve and Sif on the rooftop terrace to get her to settle and go to sleep was the most peaceful, comfortable thing he'd ever done. Steve playing with her and Sif tugging at his finger so hard Tony was sure she'd inherited some of that super-soldier strength. And Steve, really. Lots of Steve. Tony couldn't get enough of that part.

Until now, Pepper had been the only person Tony had ever had that kind of regular contact with. First there had been her years as his assistant, and then their shorter but still very memorable time as a couple. She still knew him better than anyone, and he was glad they were still friends. He found he missed being close to someone; someone he could rely on, someone he didn't have to pretend around. 

Steve wasn't that. But Tony was spending more time with him than he had with anyone aside from Pepper. While she'd seen him at his lowest and at his best, Tony found that he wanted to keep the worst sides of himself hidden from Steve. There was something about Steve, about the way he was around Tony and Sif, that made Tony want to never end up drunk on the floor again – and certainly not where Steve would see it. 

Spending time with their daughter was also pretty conducive to good behavior. Taking responsibility for at least some of her care didn't leave much time for going to bars and parties, especially not on top of a very busy superhero schedule. Tony began to really appreciate the nanny when he gradually discovered just how much work a child was. Endless cycles of feeding, changing and bouncing wasn't his thing. He got bored if he didn't do several things at once, and a kid needed all his attention in a way he couldn't handle for longer periods.

That said, there were perks. Tony got more interested looks from women – and more guys than he'd have guessed - if he went out on a sunny day with Sif than he did in any nightclub. This happened even though he'd taken to wearing neutral clothes, hats, and sunglasses and kind of stay incognito. It was pretty amazing, really. If he'd wanted to, he could have easily gotten laid every time he did that, and sure, the idea of taking her out for a walk for that purpose had crossed his mind. But he didn't. He found he didn't really want to. 

Not that Steve didn't get his share of come-ons and interested looks. Tony hadn't really thought about that before, that they were all good-looking people, heroes too, and that there were a lot of interested potential partners out there for the Avengers. It didn't as such bug him, but he did worry someone would take advantage. Especially of Steve, who seemed utterly oblivious to the effect he had on people.

Tony saw it in effect whenever the three of them went out together. Before they raided that lab - heck, before Steve talked him into being a part of the baby's life - he'd have laughed at anyone who told him he'd ever do family outings. But now he did, even though it kind of made him cringe to think about it.

But it meant he got to see Steve grin at all the things they did; things, Tony figured, he'd never done as a boy and was thrilled to do with his child. Seeing Steve point at penguins and a completely oblivious baby grabbing at his hand instead of looking at the animals was both amusing and very sweet. 

"She looked at the polar bear," Steve insisted while they walked back through Central Park, a now sleeping Sif strapped to his chest. She was getting really good at kicking, and Tony preferred Steve carrying her for that very reason. 

"She did not." Tony rolled his eyes at him. "She's a baby! She can't think that abstractly. She was looking at you or your finger all the time." 

"She looked."

"By accident. It probably made a sound. Splashing or whatever. She likes splashing."

Steve nudged his shoulder against Tony's. "Stop stripping me of my illusions. I like to think she's got enough of you in her that she's smarter than any other baby."

"Yeah, well, she's definitely stronger than most," Tony said. "She's more like you." He hoped so, because the thought of another person with any of his personality traits was really not a good thought. He wouldn't wish that on anyone. 

"Perhaps." Steve gave him a strange look, and Tony was about to ask what that was about when they exited the park and Steve switched the subject to getting ice cream.

. . .

"How are you liking fatherhood so far?" Steve asked, from the doorway of the nursery where Tony was putting a sleepy baby down for a nap. Shirtless, because she'd thrown more food at him than he'd got her to eat. She had a knack for hitting the spoon right on – and she laughed so much each time that he suspected she did it on purpose.

"All right." Tony tucked Sif in and switched on the planet mobile above her bed. She obligingly looked at it with sleepy eyes. "More when she doesn't cover me in baby food, but..." He shrugged. 

"But more than you'd expected," Steve finished. He came to stand on the other side of the crib. His appearance resulted in a huge, toothless grin. 

"She likes you best," Tony said, only a little jealous.

"I had a head start," Steve reminded him, looking up from Sif to Tony, gaze drifting slowly over him till it met his eyes. "She likes you too."

"She likes everyone," Tony pointed out. 

"Except for Pepper." A tiny smile played around Steve's lips, and there was laughter in his eyes, which were exceptionally bright right now. The soft light in the room made him look even better than usual, accentuating his jawline and the muscles visible through his shirt. 

Tony grinned at him, perhaps more flirty than he ought to, but he just couldn't help it. "Of course." Pepper had visited twice so far and each time Sif had screamed her head off. 

"Do you miss her? Pepper, I mean." Steve got a strange look on his face, reserved, worried almost. "I was wondering... did you ever think you'd have children with her."

"I didn't think I did," he said, confused frown on his face. Why would he care if Tony wanted to make babies with Pepper? "Have babies, I mean. With anyone. At all." Somehow this seemed to put Steve more at ease. "As for missing her. Yes, I suppose I do. We had a good thing. She's the only person I've ever spent that much time with in my entire life. Between her being my PA and then my girlfriend. But it didn't work out and that's that. Nothing to do about it."

Steve nodded slowly. "I never had a chance to spend that kind of time with anyone," he said. "Bucky, perhaps, but that was friendship. I miss him too." He got a far-away look in his eyes, like he was reliving something from his past.

Something in the way he said it made Tony realize there was a lot of regret there, perhaps more than for a dead friend. Well, damn. The realization made him kind of dizzy. "Steve?"

"Yes?" Steve returned to the here and now.

"I think perhaps I'm a huge idiot and haven't seen what's in front of me." Tony licked his lips, trying to find the right words. It didn't help that his heart was beating too loud. "You loved him, didn't you? Never mind, you don't have to answer that... But you're saying something here that... I think I understand." Tony slowly walked around the crib to where Steve was standing. "Are you? Saying what I think you are?"

Steve didn't answer; he didn't even look at Tony. Instead he switched off the mobile. A glance told Tony that the baby had fallen asleep. "Perhaps we should talk about that another time," Steve said.

"No, I don't think so." Tony grabbed his arm, and fought to keep his voice soft. "Tell me now."

"I kept thinking that if you wanted more, you'd tell me," Steve said softly. "I'm not good at this kind of thing. You are. So I waited, but you didn't seem to want anything to do with me... us. I may not know when I'm wanted, but I do know when I'm not wanted, Tony." Steve turned and looked at Tony. "You shut me out."

"But I don't any more," Tony said. "I am here, right? Because _you_ convinced me. Do you really think anyone else could've done that? You... you make me want to be a better person, Steve." 

"And I'm here for you – for both of you," Steve said, looking away from Tony again, towards their baby girl. "I'll help you - as much as you need – to be a good father for Sif. You both deserve that."

"But you... do... want more than that, right?" Tony asked, tempted to grab Steve harder to get him to look at him.

"Yes..." Steve had the most defeated look.

"Fuck dammit, Steve!" Tony could've slapped him. "So do I! That's what I'm trying to say here! I thought you'd be really pissed off if I made a move on you. Especially when it might look like it was just for Sif's sake. I figured you liked girls! And in case you didn't know I'm actually really bad partner material. I never thought..."

Steve looked at him and smiled, finally. There was something about that smile that worked like a magnet on Tony, who had to lean closer. "Does that mean," Steve whispered, "that I can kiss you now?"

Steve was so close. His hands were on Tony's hips now. He could smell Steve, feel the heat from his skin. "Yeah," Tony whispered back. His mouth was very dry. "Yeah, you can definitely do that."

Tony was vaguely aware of groaning when Steve pulled him closer and their lips met. God, that man was all hard muscle and soft skin, and he held on to Tony like he was made of glass.

"Shh. You'll wake her," Steve whispered against his lips. 

"Mm..?" Tony blinked his eyes open and only then did he remember where they were. "Right. Let's... go somewhere."

"My place is closer."

Tony grinned. "Great. Let's make a baby."

Steve gave him a strange look. "We can't..."

"We already did." Tony gestured to Sif's bed. "This is just catching up."


	8. Epilogue

"I still think the catholic church is a really fucked up start to life," Tony said, getting out of the car. 

Steve, right behind him with Sif, groaned. "At least keep that to yourself while we're in the _church_ ," he said, nudging Tony up the steps to the grand doors. "We agreed I got to decide since you're a heathen anyway. I was raised catholic, and I want my daughter to be too." 

"Yeah, yeah..." Tony grumbled. "I'll just have to counter all that crap with the best corruption I can find."

"Not to mention the fact that we live with a Norse god," Steve mumbled, voice low now as they entered the church. 

"Not just that, he's one of the witnesses," Tony said, grinning. That part he had happily agreed to. It was fucking hilarious. 

"Along with your ex," Steve added. "This is such a mess."

"It's a _great_ mess," Tony said, still keeping his voice low. Out of respect for Steve more than anything else. "Just like the rest of our lives. Say, is it blasphemous if I kiss you in here?"

Steve glared and dug an elbow into his ribs. Tony suppressed a groan just as a robed figure approached them. Clergy present. That explained the dig. 

Apart from grabbing Steve's ass a few times, Tony kept his promises and didn't say or do anything to upset anyone during the ceremony. If he stood a little too close to Steve when the priest said "Sif Eleanor Stark Rogers" no-one would blame him. It was his kid, after all, and kind of a big deal.


End file.
